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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23313004">long live (that look on your face)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/afire/pseuds/afire'>afire</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>hold on to spinning around [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Girl Meets World</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, an epilogue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:55:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,608</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23313004</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/afire/pseuds/afire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Riley knows something that Maya doesn't.</p><p>(or: two girls find their forever)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Maya Hart/Riley Matthews</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>hold on to spinning around [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/475687</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>97</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>long live (that look on your face)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/necking/gifts">necking</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Rhys,</p><p>Your love for this universe knows absolutely no bounds, and you make sure to take every possible opportunity to remind me. It still blows my mind a little, how much this series mean to you. It's always been my dream to tell stories that make people happy, and I know I'm very flippant every time you bring this universe up, but I'm also very grateful that you still think about it.</p><p>So, at the end of this little journey, let's go back to the beginning.</p><p>With all my love, this is for you.</p><p>I hope you like it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Maya hasn't gotten a single detention this year. </p><p>Granted, they're about two months in, but little victories are still victories. And if she stays out of trouble for three more weeks, she sets a personal record. </p><p>Her second year at Hogwarts and already she's got a reputation, Maya doesn't know how she does it.</p><p>Point being, she really does not want to get detention right now. Unfortunately for her, it is four in the morning, and she is out of bed.</p><p>"How did we both fall asleep?" Maya whisper-shouts, making sure to keep a firm hold on Riley's hand as they dart through corridors, pausing at every corner to listen for footsteps. </p><p>"I don't know," Riley whispers back. "It's usually just me."</p><p>Which is true. Riley tends to be able to fall asleep anywhere, especially if she's using Maya as a pillow. It's a special talent of hers, Maya's learned to stop asking questions.</p><p>In any case, their secret midnight trips to the Astronomy tower have managed to remain secret because Maya usually wakes Riley up before the patrols begin, and they're always back in bed by the time Filch is creeping through the castle.</p><p>Tonight, they're about six staircases away from the basement, where both their common rooms are, and Maya can tell Riley's starting to panic.</p><p>"Hey, it's okay." She keeps her voice low, trying her best to be both stealthy and comforting at the same time. "We'll make it back, don't worry too much."</p><p>"I'm not worrying," Riley says, worriedly.</p><p>Maya's response is interrupted by footsteps, heading steadily in their direction, and she immediately slides a hand over Riley's mouth, muffling her best friend's quiet exclamation.</p><p>They're still in the East towers, down some corridor Maya does not recognise. She leads them swiftly onward, stopping at the first door they come across.</p><p>Riley gives it a push, then a pull, then decides that it's locked and starts to move on.</p><p>Maya tugs on their joined hands, pulling her back. </p><p>"<em>Alohomora</em>," she says, slow and deliberate, pointing her wand in the general vicinity of the lock. It's dark, and the torches down this way aren't lit.</p><p>A quiet click, and then the door swings open.</p><p>Riley lets out a quiet, "Oh, right," before allowing Maya to pull her into the room.</p><p>Inside, it's dark and quiet. Maya puts her finger to her lips, eyes wide, making sure that Riley knows not to start talking yet.</p><p>The footsteps draw closer, echoing against the castle's stone walls. Then they stop, as if their owner is looking around, perhaps for signs of students being out of bed.</p><p>For the longest moment, there is nothing but silence.</p><p>Then the footsteps start up again, this time in the opposite direction. Maya lets out a quiet breath, turning to check on Riley.</p><p>At first glance, her best friend is nowhere to be found.</p><p>The room is much bigger than it had seemed on the outside, and Maya squints through the darkness.</p><p>"Riley?"</p><p>"Over here."</p><p>Riley's voice rings out from the far corner, and Maya makes her way over, slow and careful, not wanting to accidentally kick a chair over.</p><p>"What are you doing? We have to get back."</p><p>"Come look at this," Riley says.</p><p>"What?" Maya narrows her eyes suspiciously, not entirely trusting of whatever it is that Riley's found, tucked into a dusty corner of a magical castle. "I hope you haven't touched it."</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>It's clear that Riley's not listening anymore.</p><p>Maya sighs, stepping carefully over what seems to be a large curtain, piled on the floor. "Alright," she says, going to stand next to Riley. "What is it?"</p><p>"Look."</p><p>Maya looks.</p><p>"I can't see anything." She leans closer, trying to figure out what, exactly, she's meant to be looking at. "It's too dark."</p><p>"I think it's a mirror."</p><p>"Well, it's useless right now."</p><p>There's the sound of rustling fabric, then Riley mutters, "<em>Lumos</em>."</p><p>"I still can't see much."</p><p>"Fortunately for us, you also have a wand."</p><p>Maya mumbles some choice words under her breath, then retrieves her wand yet again and, echoing Riley, murmurs, "<em>Lumos</em>."</p><p>They bring their wands together, and the collective light is enough for Maya to realise that she is, indeed, looking at a mirror.</p><p>Which is fine, and slightly interesting, but doesn't explain why they're still here, and not hotfooting it back to their common rooms.</p><p>"Riles, we have to go before someone else comes past."</p><p>Riley doesn't respond, just leans closer to the mirror, as if she's looking for something.</p><p>"Riley!"</p><p>"Right, yeah." Riley seems to break out of a daze, extinguishing her wand before taking Maya's hand. "Let's go."</p><p>Maya extinguishes her own wand, tugging gently so that they start moving back toward the door. </p><p>"We'll come back another night."</p><p>She doesn't understand Riley's fascination with the old mirror, but also doesn't want to diminish her best friend's interests.</p><p>Riley turns to look at her, expression unreadable.</p><p>"Promise?"</p><p>Maya nods, gives Riley's hand a squeeze, hoping that it feels as reassuring as she's trying to be.</p><p>"I promise."</p><p> </p><p>✨</p><p> </p><p>They don't actually get a chance to sneak out until two weeks later, because Maya's left several essays to the last minute, and Riley won't let her skive off studying just to explore the castle.</p><p>She gets a small reprieve one Friday night, after everything's been handed in, and nothing new has been assigned yet.</p><p>"Want to go looking for your mirror again?" Maya asks, voice soft as she lingers outside the Hufflepuff basement, saying goodnight to Riley.</p><p>Riley smiles, slow and sweet. "You remembered," she says, as if Maya could ever forget.</p><p>"Of course, I promised you." Maya glances around, making sure that no one is listening in. She only keeps talking once she's sure the hallway is empty. "Meet you out here in an hour?"</p><p>"You got it." Riley grins, tilts forward to dust a kiss onto Maya's cheek. "Goodnight."</p><p>Maya blinks, unsure of why she suddenly feels like she's floating.</p><p>"Goodnight."</p><p> </p><p>✨</p><p> </p><p>Riley is exactly on time, like she always is. </p><p>Maya's late, but only because she hadn't known that the Slytherin prefects would still be awake. She'd had to sneak around them, making sure not to slam her shoulder against the doorway to their common room, as she's wont to do.</p><p>"Sorry," she says, upon meeting Riley.</p><p>Her best friend just smiles, as if she'd known this would happen.</p><p>"S'okay. Do you remember where we're going?"</p><p>"Yeah, the only corridor in the East tower where the torches aren't lit."</p><p>Maya's not very on top of things, a fact that she's painfully aware of sometimes, but the one advantage she's got is a good memory, and it doesn't take them long at all to find the mirror again.</p><p>Riley's already halfway across the room, wand alight, and Maya hastens to follow, quickly whispering, "<em>Lumos</em>," so that she's got some illumination as well.</p><p>The mirror is exactly where they'd left it, though Maya's pretty sure it's gotten dustier since their last visit.</p><p>"Alright, what's up with this thing?"</p><p>"Come here," Riley says, reaching out with the hand that isn't holding her wand.</p><p>Maya takes it without question, and she's pulled in, close enough that she and Riley are both pressed up against each other, staring wide-eyed into the mirror.</p><p>"You okay, Riles? Why are you so into this?"</p><p>Riley just shakes her head. "I'm fine." She tips her wand away from the glass, so that the light catches more of its surface. "What do you see, Maya?"</p><p>"What do I see?" Maya looks into her own blue eyes. "Me, I guess?"</p><p>"Okay, but look closer."</p><p>Maya looks closer. The image does not change.</p><p>"Riles, I just see me. And you, obviously."</p><p>"Me?" Riley seems surprised, and when Maya turns, her best friend is staring at her.</p><p>"Yeah? It's a mirror, Riles. And you're next to me, of course I'll see the both of us."</p><p>"Just the both of us? What are we doing?"</p><p>"What are you talking about?"</p><p>Maya's not quite sure what's going on, and she has no idea why Riley wants her to describe what she's seeing when they're both right there.</p><p>"Just, look again."</p><p>"Okay," Maya says, slowly, before turning to look again.</p><p>"What do you see?" Riley repeats.</p><p>"You and me." Maya swings their joined hands back and forth, watching as their reflection does the same. "You're holding my hand."</p><p>Riley goes quiet, and the room descends into silence. Maya doesn't say anything, just waits patiently.</p><p>"That's all you see?" she asks, after a while. "Just you and me?"</p><p>"Well, yeah. We're the only ones here." Maya's still confused, but she doesn't want to make Riley upset. "It's a normal mirror, Riles. I just see us."</p><p>Riley hums, a sound of acknowledgement, then she smiles.</p><p>"Me too," she says. "I just see us."</p><p>Maya smiles back, instinct sparking the flint of her joy. Riley's happiness has always led to her own.</p><p>"Cool. Do you want to hang around a bit more? We've got some time before the patrols start."</p><p>Riley just keeps smiling, as if she doesn't know how to stop.</p><p>"Yeah, I'd like that very much."</p><p>Maya shakes her wand out, then points it at the ground in front of the mirror. "<em>Scourgify</em>," she says.</p><p>The dust clears itself away, leaving a clean spot, just large enough for the both of them.</p><p>"Okay, we have about twenty minutes. Twenty-five, if you want to risk it."</p><p>Riley sits down, then pulls on Maya's sleeve so that she'll sit as well.</p><p>"Just you and me, Maya."</p><p>"Yeah." Maya leans into Riley, watching her reflection do the same. "Just you and me."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy four-year anniversary to this series.</p><p>And goodbye.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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